Waka Ama - Aotearoa's fastest growing sport

Image: Waka Ama NZ

Thousands of paddlers are set to compete at the annual Te Wānanga o Aotearoa National Waka Ama Sprint Championships next week.

The picturesque Lake Karāpiro will host over 1700 teams from 61 clubs as they participate in what is one of Aotearoa's fastest growing sports.

Waka Ama New Zealand CEO Lara Collins says this year's event promises to be full of excitement.

“This year in July, Tahiti are hosting the World Club Sprint Championships and many teams taking part this week at Karāpiro are trying to qualify to to represent their club and New Zealand at that event, so the racing will be intense!

“We have similar numbers to last year with 3300 paddlers competing. We’ve got crews coming from all over the country from as far north as Kaitaia down to Wakatipu in the South Island (for the first time). “There are going to be huge crowds lakeside watching the regatta. With around 10,000 expected during the week.”

Collins emphasises the uniqueness of the sport and how its inclusive nature brings together paddlers of all ages and ethnicities.

“It’s a sport for all sorts of people from all walks of life. This week 2100 of the paddlers are under the age of 19 and 1200 of those are aged under 13. Our youngest paddler competing this week is 5 and our oldest paddler will turn 80 this year.

Waka Ama is probably the only sport where grandmothers, grandfathers, mums, dads and their kids can come together to race competitively.”

Last year’s winner of the 2017 National Waka Ama club points’ trophy for overall performances throughout the regatta was Horouta Waka Hoe from Gisborne. The club will be back this year seeking to defend the titlethey have won 6 times in the trophy’s 7 year history.